Show Reviews

Medeski Martin and Wood have never enjoyed themselves so much in Vermont as on their Higher Ground appearance December 3rd. Perhaps it's a comfort level arising from nearly annual visits to the Green Mountains for a decade or more, but just as likely, the trio's obvious delight derives from  a sense of renewed pleasure in playing together in the wake of the recently-completed 'Radiolarians Series.'

The band’s combustible mixture of Malian tradition, highlife style, chunky grooves and amped-up rock kept the dance floor hot, and the frequent interjections on kora and soku grounded the proceedings in the earthy, raw sounds of West Africa.

Bob Dylan shifts and changes his live performances so much it has become an adventure to dissect his tunes from tour to tour.  A constant tinkerer, his arraignments are fluid and give him space as an artist to express himself with those he chooses to place onstage.  The current outing finds him playing with four familiar players that he has toured with over the last few years and one from his not-too-distant past.  Charlie Sexton returned to the lineup on lead guitar and added a chicken fried layer of playing that has jolted Dylan into some powerful sonic structures this time around the world.

It’s been a little over a week since Bruce Springsteen returned to the NY Metropolitan area.  After closing down Giants Stadium with two performances each of Born To Run and Born In The U.S.A apiece (but sadly only one of Darkness Of The Edge Of Town), the two Garden shows looked to be even more special.  Earlier that week, it was announced that on the first night, he would play The Wild, The Innocent And The E Street Shuffle and on the second, the entire 20-song double album, The River.  Neither of these had ever been performed in their entirety and the second show looked to be an especially ambitious project, even for The Boss.  Then again, Bruce wouldn’t have tried if he knew he wasn’t up to it.

As Phish’s powerful rendition of The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street defined their Halloween desert escapade, Festival 8, it was a line from the immortal songwriting team of Jagger/Richards  that best summed up the drama of Phish festivals 1-7:  “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

It is safe to say that this year’s lineup for the annual CMJ festival was the most underwhelming in years, maybe ever.  Usually there are 10-20 established acts, and a handful of showcases packed with up and coming contenders that everyone is clamoring to get into, not so for ’09.